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The Price Is Right (UK game show)
The Price Is Right in the UK was hosted by Leslie Crowther, Bob Warman, Bruce Forsyth, and Joe Pasquale. It ran from 24 March 1984 to 12 January 2007. Crowther era (The Price is Right) Leslie Crowther hosted the original UK version, having beaten Joe Brown to the role of host after both recorded pilot episodes. The Crowther version is popular with fans of the show for its near-campiness, glamour, and endearing presenting skills of its host, not for its cheaper prizes (which were forced on it by the Independent Broadcasting Authority's prize limits). Its format was nearly identical to that of CBS's daytime show in the United States. It initially used the Big Wheel to decide who would go through to the Showcase, but the IBA forced Central to abandon this because of the lack of skill involved. In fact, the show had to go off air for a while during its first season on the IBA's instructions (the regulator was also unhappy that prize values had exceeded its limits), so that the format could be adapted to fit into a much more tightly-regulated UK broadcasting environment. After this ruling was made, the show replaced the Big Wheel rounds with a game called "Supermarket", in which each of the three people would select up to four of six presented grocery products; the one whose total was closest to £20, above or below, advanced to the Showcase Final. Series two saw the Big Wheel return for a spin-off to see who would have the option of bidding or passing on the first showcase; each contestant had to take two spins. If a person scored 100, £400 would be donated to charity on their behalf, and Leslie would ask the person a consumer-related question to win £100 for him/herself. The winner was the contestant who came closer to 100 in either direction. The Crowther version later used a game called "the Showcase Questions", where all six on-stage contestants played a series of estimated-guess questions and the person farthest away from the actual prize was eliminated. This was done until the last two contestants were left, and they then advanced to the Showcase Final. The showcase was played largely the same way as on the American version. In the first season, the winner wouldn't win the largest prize in their showcase if their winning guess was not within 10% of the showcase total. Pricing Games *Any Number *Bargain Bar ("Barker's Bargain Bar" in the U.S.) *Blank Cheque (Now known as "Check Game" in the U.S.) *Bonus Game *(The) Card Game *Check-Out *Cliffhanger ("Cliff Hangers" in the U.S.) *(The) Clock Game *Danger Price *Dice Game *Escalator ("Walk of Fame" in the U.S.) *Five Price Tags *Give or Keep *Hi Lo (played with small prizes instead of grocery items) *Hole in One *Lucky 7 (Played with seven £1 coins for a prize with a three-digit price) *Master Key *Matchmaker (not based on any U.S. game; a pricing game in name only, as it actually involved no prices at all) *Money Game (played for a vehicle with a three-digit price) *Most Expensive (An original game later introduced in the U.S. as "Easy as 123"; not the U.S.'s "Most Expensive") *One Away *Partners (Loosely based on Double Bullseye) *The Penny Drops ("Penny Ante" in the U.S.) *Permutation (not based on any U.S. game; played much like Balance Game) *Pick-A-Pair (played with small prizes instead of grocery items) *Punch-A-Bunch *Race Game *Range Game *Safecracker ("Safe Crackers" in the U.S.) *Secret X *Side by Side (not based on any U.S. game; not related to the U.S.'s Side by Side in any way) *Squeeze Play (players remove two numbers instead of one) *Switcheroo (played for four two-digit prizes and one three-digit prize) *Take Two *Temptation *Ten Chances (played for two two-digit prizes and one three-digit prize) *3 in a Row (not based on any U.S. game) *3 Strikes *Tic-Tac-Toe (a variation on Secret X) *Time-Play (a variation on Clock Game) *Trade Up ("Trader Bob" in the U.S.) Announcer *Simon Prebble (1984–1988) Models *Marie-Elise Grepne (1984–1985) *Jacqueline Bucknell (1984–1986) *Julia Roberts (1984–1986) *Denise Kelly (1984–1988) *Sandra Easby (1985) *Cindy Day (1986–1988) *Carol Greenwood (1986–1988) *Gillian de Terville (1986–1988) *Elsa O'Toole (1986) *Judy Bailey (1986–1988) *Laura Calland (1987-1988) *Sarah Wynter (1988) Warman era (The New Price is Right) The second version hosted by Bob Warman is considered to be a precursor to the third version hosted by Bruce Forsyth, as it was a half-hour and used the Showcase range game. Having premiered shortly after Leslie Crowther's version went off the air, it retained many elements from the set and props, but was somewhat "Americanized". The show was hence called "The New Price is Right" and had a red, yellow, and green pound sign. The Warman version also had slightly better and more expensive prizes than the Crowther version due to the program's shorter length, in-show sponsorship, and lighter regulation of satellite television channels. The show also had a light border in the opening (mimicking the American version), used U.S. music (including the opening theme and the Match Game-Hollywood Squares Hour theme), and had more colour on the set. The Showcase round was played considerably differently: After three games and a single Showcase Showdown at the Big Wheel (in which spinning 100 earned a bonus spin worth a bonus prize), the Showdown winner selected a range at random from £250 to £1,000; if the bid was within the selected range of the price of the presented showcase without going over, they won the Showcase. The Warman era was very short-lived, partly due to Sky TV being relatively new and having very few subscribers at the time; only 30 episodes were produced, airing over a period in 1989. Despite this, its format and version of the Showcase since carried over to many other European versions of the show, including Bruce's Price Is Right. Pricing Games * Bargain Bar * Cliffhanger * Danger Price * Five Price Tags (Played with grocery items, and players are given a free pick at the start) * Hi Lo * Lucky 7 (Played with seven tokens) * Money Game (Played for a car, as in America) * Pick-A-Pair (Played with grocery items) * Race Game * Side by Side (Not based on any American pricing game, including "Side by Side") * Switcheroo * Ten Chances Announcers * Bobby Bragg * Al Sherwin Models * Suzie Marlowe * Tracie Williams * Katrina Maltby * Julie Broster * Peitra Caston Forsyth era (Bruce's Price is Right) When it started in the mid-1990s, Bruce's Price is Right was one of the first shows to fully take advantage of the Independent Television Commission's lifting of the prize limits and the general deregulation of the UK broadcasting environment. The Showcase Showdown was played on the Big Wheel (objections to lack of skill no longer being a factor), with the highest-scoring contestant on one spin or a combination of two spins going through to the Showcase, and any contestant who scored 100 on one spin or a combination of two spins would win £1,000. The ranges for the Showcase in this version went from £1,000 to £5,000. Although it was only in a half-hour format with three pricing games per show (the Crowther show had been an hour long with six games) it still gave away more valuable prizes each week than the previous ITV version had done (for example, it was possible for a contestant to win two cars, one in a pricing game and one in the showcase, which would have been utterly unthinkable on British TV in the 1980s). Cars offered were usually superminis, from makers like Daihatsu and Daewoo, or models like a Ford Ka or Mazda Demio, but small sports cars like a Hyundai Accent or Vauxhall Tigra were offered on occasion. On the Forsyth version, the game Plinko was played to very different rules from the U.S. version; considerably less money could be won, and contestants could risk their cash winnings on one final Plinko chip in hopes of adding a car or other large prize to their winnings (the cash spaces on the board were replaced with alternating "WIN" and "LOSE" tags). Many European versions of the show that debuted after the Forsyth version based their games and sound cues on that show. The main theme, an update of the U.S. theme, and the "come on down" music are from the short-lived 1994 U.S. syndicated version. Bruce would start some of these shows also with his trademark line of "Nice to see you, to see you...NICE!" (where the audience yells the word "nice" at the end). Pricing Games Introduced Series 1 (1995) *Cliffhanger ("Cliff Hangers" in the U.S.; contestants were told that the prices increased as the game progressed) *Clock Game (rules modified after Series 1 so that all prizes ended in either '0' or '5') *Danger Price (contestant could not win the prize that cost the danger price) *Double Price Tags ("Double Prices" in the U.S.) *Hole in One (played with four small prizes instead of six grocery products) *Master Key *Money Game *Most Expensive (contestant only won the most expensive prize) *1 Right Price (regularly played for two cars, though the contestant could only choose one) *Pathfinder *Pick-A-Pair (played with the prizes themselves instead of with grocery products) *Plinko *Race Game (played with a 30-second timer) *Secret "X" (except on earliest playings, contestants had three chances to win the two additional Xs) *Swap ("Switch?" in the U.S.; contestant could only win one prize) *Switcheroo Introduced Series 2 (1996) *Check-Out *Lucky Seven (modified so that no numbers appeared in the price more than once) *Make Your Move *Pick-A-Number Introduced Series 3 (1997) *Credit Card (contestant won the three prizes they picked, rules modified later on so that they also kept the remaining money on the card) *Most Expensive (replaced original "Most Expensive" from Series 1; now a renamed version of "Easy as 123") *Split Decision (used the game's timed format) *3 Strikes ('one strike in the bag' rule implemented from Series 5 onward) Introduced Series 4 (1998) *Any Number *Bruce's Bargain Bar ("Barker's Bargain Bar" in the U.S., contestant only won one of the prizes) *Hi Lo *Price Tags (known in the U.S. as "Barker's Markers" from 1994–2007 on the daytime version, and as "Make Your Mark" in the 1994 syndicated version and from 2008–2009 on the daytime version) Introduced Series 5 (1999) *Joker *Side by Side Introduced Series 6 (2000) *Clearance Sale *Let 'Em Roll (except on earliest playings, the number of rolls was determined using a grocery product and three price choices) *Push Over (blocks went "to Australia") Introduced Series 7 (2001) *No new games were introduced. Announcer *Peter Dickson (1995–2001) Models *Kimberley Cowell (1995–2001) *Emma Noble (1995–1997) *Emma Steadman (1995–2001) *Brian Tattersall (1995–1997) *Simon Peat (1998–2001) *Lea Kristensen (1998–2001) Ant & Dec's Gameshow Marathon (The Price is Right) On September 17, 2005, as part of a celebration of the 50th birthday of ITV, Ant & Dec hosted a one-off revival of The Price is Right as part of Ant & Dec's Gameshow Marathon; they also hosted revivals of several other game shows that were once popular on the ITV network. The original titles was from the Central version, however the Yorkshire Television was used instead. Contestants *Eamonn Holmes (Sky News presenter) *Vernon Kay (TV presenter) *Patsy Kensit (Actress) *William Roache (Coronation Street actor) *Carol Vorderman (TV presenter) *Ruby Wax (TV presenter, comedienne) The winner of the show was Carol Vorderman, who as a result advanced to the quarter-final of the show. The five remaining contestants returned in the next week's show, Take Your Pick, to battle for the second spot in the quarter-final round. Announcers *Peter Dickson (2005) Pasquale era (The Price is Right) Talkback Thames debuted a revival on ITV on 8 May 2006, this time with former "I'm a Celebrity, Get Me Out of Here!" winner Joe Pasquale as host. It followed the same gameplay format as Bob Warman and Bruce Forsyth's versions, with Showcase ranges going from £500 to £3000, and the Showcase Showdown adapted the rules from the Warman version, with a car at stake; later on, the £1000 bonus was reinstated. It had a very "panto" feel to it, and it relies on nostalgia of the Crowther version, which was known for its cheap prizes because of the regulations of the time. Joe's tour manager, Ray Tizzard, made appearances as his "twin" in various pricing games. The show expanded to an hour from 3 July 2006. This involved three games being played, a Showcase Showdown, three more games, another Showcase Showdown, and then the winners from both showdowns take part in the 'Pasquale Finale', a spin-off on the wheel to see who will go through to the Showcase. During this format, spinning 100 in one or two spins won £1000; the player then spins for the car. In addition, prior to this, the maximum range in the Showcase increased to £4000, as the budget increased. After the first three games and Showcase Showdown, Contestants' Row was cleared of people, and a new set of four contestants was called down. In all versions of the programme, a perfect bid in Contestants' Row resulted in a £100 bonus in either cash or, in the Warman version, gift certificates. Pricing Games *Any Number *Cliffhanger ("Cliff Hangers" in the U.S.) *Danger Price *Deck of Cards ("Card Game" in the U.S.; introduced when the show went hour-long) *Easy as 123 *Find the Lady ("Shell Game" in the U.S., played here with playing cards, including a Queen) *Half & Half ("Money Game" in the U.S.) *Hi Lo *Hole in One *Joe's Bargain Bar ("Barker's Bargain Bar" in the U.S.) *Joe's Lucky Bags ("3 Strikes" in the U.S.) *Joe Ker (introduced when the show went hour-long; known as "Joker" in the U.S.) *Lucky 7 ("Lucky Seven" in the U.S.; introduced when the show went hour-long, follows the same rules as Bruce Forsyth's version) *On the Nose *1 Right Price (not the U.S.'s 1 Right Price; actually more similar to the U.S.'s Double Prices, with three choices, so you could call it "Triple Prices".) *1 Wrong Price *Pick-A-Number *Pick-A-Pair (played with only four items) *Plinko *Price Tags ("Five Price Tags" in the U.S.; introduced when the show went hour-long) *Push Over *Safecracker ("Safe Crackers" in the U.S.) *Side by Side *Swap ("Switch?" in the U.S.) *Take 2 *Walk the Line (the grocery portion of Let 'Em Roll with five items; based on the high-low game on Play Your Cards Right with prices of grocery items instead of playing cards; to win, a contestant must correctly run the board with no mistakes) Announcers *Peter Dickson (2006–2007) *Mike Hurley (2006–2007) (occasional cover for Peter Dickson) Models *Natalie Denning (2006–2007) *Amanda Robbins (2006–2007) *Richard Kyte (2006–2007) *Natalie Pike (2006–2007) Cancellation ITV chiefs cancelled The Price is Right at the end of its latest run on January 12, 2007. While The Paul O'Grady Show on Channel 4 regularly attracts over 2.5 million viewers, Pasquale has only managed to pull in 800,000. Vernon Kay's Gameshow Marathon (The Price is Right) After the success of Ant & Dec's Gameshow Marathon in 2005, ITV brought the show back, this time hosted by Vernon Kay, a contestant in the first series. Vernon Kay's Gameshow Marathon began on 7 April 2007 with The Price is Right. Contestants *Michael Le Vell (Coronation Street actor) *Jamelia (Singer) *Graeme Le Saux (Footballer) *Wendy Richard (Former EastEnders actress) *Ben Shephard (TV presenter) *Andrea Catherwood (The Sunday Edition presenter) The winner of the show was Graeme Le Saux, who as a result advanced to the quarter-final of the show. The five remaining contestants returned in the next week's show, Blockbusters, to battle for the second spot in the quarter-final round. Announcers *Peter Dickson (2007) Category:Foreign Formats